Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1887-05-14
THE PRESIDENTS MAIL.
Letters From All Sorts of Petitioners,
Their Wives and Children.

Letters From All Sorts of Petitioners, |
Their Wives and Children.
The Presidents mail contains an
average of from one hundred to one
hundred and fifty letters day from
persons whose claims for pensions are
pending before the department. These
people address the Chief Executive in
the belief, probably, that the Pension
Office is next door to the White House,
and that theirs is the only letter he
may have received in week.
About onc-half Of these letters are
sent to Mrs. Cleveland. The writer's
in such cases are usually the wives or
daughters of the petitioners. Some of
them bcstow upon Mrs. Cleveland such
titles as "Her Majesty Empress
and other appellations Of royalty.
There are few of the letters that do not
contain some touches Of human nature.
They are evidently written in the sim
ccre belief that Mrs. Cleveland will as
sist them if her sympathies can only
be aroused. With this object in view
great mass Of detail is set forth in
the communication, which, together
with the obscure chirography and bad
spelling, make its understanding a
matter of no inconsiderable time and
labor.
1t may be said in this connection that
neither the President nor Mrs. Clevc-
land is even aware of the existence OF
these letters, They are opened by an
unromantic and unscntimental clerk at
the Executive mansion, from whose
hands they fall into the waste-baske'
and are never heard of again.
The women who address Mrs Cleve'
land furnish her with suggestions rs tC
the better method of presenting theil
claim to the President. One of the
plans which a pcrusal of the Letters
show that all women hold in common
is for her to wait until Mr.. CleyclanC
has had his supper and then, when hi
is enjoying quiet smoke in the parlo
(Sic) bring the matter to his attention
Many of them tell her that this is tn
hour of the day when man is mos
amenable to argument. and that the,
Ohc writcrs) prefer this a, the safe,
time for presenting their own request
1hc applicants for p,"-ton'' Wh
write TO the President are, as has bee
said, old soldiers, who, like the FEM
nine part of the family, are sadly def
cicnt in the principles of even an el(
mentary education. They write, Toe
in more vigorous style than thei
helpmeets, and their Language is somt
times of 50 robust nature that II fr'
qucntly provokcS smile, For exam
plc, an Illinois man who addresses tn
President in a letter received to-da
says:
: "Thc pension officials tell me to q
corroboratiye evidence from some
my comrades | want to tell you 1t :
hard matter to get evidence from me
who 20 into an action and never con
out again." and then he continues j
saying that hi, company went into Il
Wilderness a hundred strong, and
? the end of the seven days fight thcl
were but nine of the number who WEI
left to tell the tale.
Q Son,otir,o. ,ho Iotto,,. oro v,.itton !
, cnilJron who booin in this fashion
1 ..na,nNir pro.flent. Tan, - littlc ri
, .,,Ir t,n roars of aac Nv NAM, d.
| MAJ lnnw 7 am wrifinn mi. lcttcr
= h, 'l;J ho ,youIJ pot n@rmit II q" Tb,
,,unn., nothotic t,Ic of v,,nt NJ
0 n,i,or,. tnp.hing ornuob in lis .inn
= st,lo nf ,ro,tmont lint rendered doub
sn ~ Lv tbo fact of tbo writer's youtb 4,
iprnconrn
t s,r,rl ,,o,ths oco o,o of tbo
Il .oroh;n,, ,,i.siyos chancod :, roach II
G pro.;Jont. c,o II. simnIo nlcodi,
touched s,mr,tbotir chord in Il
prn.iJnnt's heart The Tttle mi
bnor,d fine retention of her father.
Il Republican, ON the board of medic
examiner, in the New England town
h which their home was located S
o said he was very old and dying of
h iucqrablc disease. The position pa
>, him A salary Of about 81, 200 We,
: aud IN vio,, of tho f,rt thot he cnuld
l. LONGER practice his profession the fol
l. GOING sum was their only source of
Is come. The letter concluded naivelv
h those words; "Papa must not knC
II about this. It must be Il secret
/ tween YOU and me. If You decide
Il keen him mark an X ON the back